


Love thy enemy

by shieldmaidenofdarkness



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Rey is salty, stormpilot on the side
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 03:04:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13021908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shieldmaidenofdarkness/pseuds/shieldmaidenofdarkness
Summary: So I was in desperate need of some Christmas Fluff and this works is inspired by and written for my dear friend Kiryava.This is an Modern AU, and for the sake of this fic, Rey and Ben are only 1-2 years apart in age.Fanfiction author Rey contacts her online-nemesis one drunken evening and they soon realize, they have a lot in common.





	Love thy enemy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kiryava](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Kiryava).



It had all started a few month ago, when she had gotten a comment on her _A Song of Ice and Fire_ fanfiction. Rey usually got some praise in the comment section, not that she was arrogant. In fact, she was very self-concious about her work, although she got a lot of nice and encouraging comments. She had written fanfiction for different fandoms for about six years now, and every once in a while, there was a mean comment. Over the years, she had gotten used to trolls. She usually replied with a witty comment or sarcasm. But this comment, it drove her mad for some reason. It wasn't mean, it wasn't even much of a comment to begin with. Some douche, who called himself _Knight of Ren_ , had commented on her best work yet. And all he had written was _„this is meh.“_

When Rey had read that comment, she was furious. Instead of replying though, she had stalked his profile. This _Knight of Ren_ had been a part of the community for quite some time, he was frequently writing fanfiction himself. Rey had known that it was a bad idea, but one drunken evening she had read his fanfictions. The plan was to find the tiniest flaws and rip his stories apart in the comments, but she found that his stuff was actually pretty good. He covered a lot of the fandoms she was involved in herself. His comment bugged her even more, so while downing another glass of cheap red wine, she commented on one of his stories. „ _Its just meh.“_

What followed was an ongoing war between the two. He would comment on her work, she on his. They both knew how to play dirty and their feedback was usually a mixture of derogative comments laced with just a tiny bit constructive criticism. It had gotten to a point where Rey felt adrenalin rush through her when he commented on her stuff.

So when it was the middle of December, and her roommate Finn had just dropped the „I won't be here for the holidays“-bomb on her, she had gotten a bottle of wine, some ice-cream and placed herself in front of her notebook. Rey wasn't blaming Finn for spending the holidays with his boyfriend and his family. Hell, if she'd had a family or a boyfriend, she would spend Christmas for sure with them. She wasn't sad, either. Finn and Poe had offered her to tag along, but she didn't want to crash the family reunion. And she didn't want to disturb the lovebirds. Christmas didn't mean much to her anyway. Growing up in different foster homes, she'd never really had a family or the experience of Christmas joy. It was just a day like any other to her.

Stalking the _Knight of Ren_ had become her favorite go-to-distraction. Finn was out with Poe, so nobody was teasing her about the hours she spent in front of the screen, stalking her nemesis again. She had already downed half the bottle and stared at his profile for the tenthousandst time, when she noticed that he was _online_. Before she could help herself, she opened a chat with him.

 

 **Scavenger [21:09]:** Well, if it isn't the Knight of Arse.

Nothing happened for a moment that felt like eternity. She was just about to curse herself, when her notebook made a ping-noise.

 

 **Knight of Ren [21:13]:** Well, if it isn't the Queen of meh.

 

 **Scavenger [21:14]:** Yeah, maybe be such an ass, when you're sitting at home on a saturday night.

 **Knight of Ren [21:15]:** Right back at ya.

Damn. He got her. Maybe the wine wasn't a good idea afterall.

 

 **Knight of Ren [21:15]:** Why are you texting me anyway?

 **Scavenger [21:17]:** Just the christmas-spirit, i guess. Care for a truce?

 **Knight of Ren [21:20]:** i dont see, why not

Rey took a deep breath. She wasn't even sure why she felt so relieved. She closed her eyes for a second and summoned her courage.

 **Scavenger [21:25]:** i have to admit something

 **Scavenger [21:25]:** its embarrassing. Dont laugh

 **Scavenger [21:26]:** i like your work, actually

Nothing happened, _again_. Rey was massaging her forehead with closed eyes and took another sip from her glass. Great, now not even her nemesis was talking to her. _Ping._

 **Knight of Ren [21:31]:** yours is not too bad either

Rey swore, her heart skipped a beat. He thought her work was _not too bad_? That was the first compliment she had gotten from him. _Ever_.

 **Scavenger [21:32]:** yeah, im totally screenshotting this

 **Scavenger [21:32]:** but thank you, milord

It took him some time to respond and Rey felt like this must be the online-aquivalent to an awakard silence. A voice inside her head told her to just close the notebook and go to bed. _Ping_.

 **Knight of Ren [21:40]:** so what do you do when you’re not writing horrible fanfictions, scav?

Rey raised an eyebrow. This again?

 **Scavenger [21:43]:** studying, working, stalking this guy who acts like a total douche when i'm drunk. Just the usual stuff

Shit. She shouldn't have sent that. But he ignored the stalking-part. And also the douche-part. Which she was very, very thankful for.

 **Knight of Ren [21:45]:** what are you studying?

 **Scavenger [21:46]:** engineering. How about you? Except from slaying dragons and saving princesses?

 **Knight of Ren [21:47]:** yeah the knighthood is really timeconsuming but i study mathematics on the side

 **Scavenger [21:48]:** ugh… boring….

 **Scavenger [21:49]:** so… where do you go?

 **Knight of Ren [21:51]:** i'm not sure if i should tell my stalker where i study

That was reasonable. They didn't know each other. For all he knew, she could be a serial killer and vice versa.

 **Knight of Ren [21:53]:** argh what the heck. I go to nyu. You?

Rey almost let the glass of wine drop. This couldn't be. What were the odds, this total stranger was going to the same school she did?

 **Knight of Ren [21:56]:** hello? You there?

 **Scavenger [21:57]:** yeah… i'm here…

 **Knight of Ren [21:58]:** so, where do you go?

 **Scavenger [21:59]:** nyu…

 **Knight of Ren [22:00]:** shut up! You're kidding right?

 **Scavenger [22:01]:** i wish….

 **Knight of Ren [22:02]:** damn… you think we've met?

 **Scavenger [22:03]:** i dunno… it's a big school. And a big city…

 

It went on and on. First they talked about their favorite professors and subjects, then about their favorite places in the city, about their favorite movies and books. Rey only realized how late it had gotten when Finn got back home. It was two o'clock in the morning and it took Finn five whole minutes to open the front door. He was so drunk he couldn't walk straight and Rey had to put her notebook aside and help her roommate and best friend to get to bed. She tugged him, brought him water and some aspirin and a bucket, in case he had to throw up.

„You're a keeper, Rey“, he lulled. „You should totally date that Knight-guy.“  


„You should get some sleep, peanut“, she changed the subject. He had been bugging her for weeks. Almost daily he told her to just „stop stalking the poor guy and ask him out already“.  If only he knew the turn of events, Rey thought smilingly. Her excuse had been that he could be a fifty year old Brony, living in his mother's basement in Milwaukee. „If only you knew, Finn, if only you knew“, she muttered and left the now snoring Finn in his room.

Rey sprinted to her notebook, but her _Knight_ had gone offline. She sighed, and typed a message, an explanation, why she hadn't answered.

 **Scavenger [2:03]:** i'm sorry, i had to take care of my drunkenass roommate. Text me?

She added her phone number in a flash of boldness. Maybe Finn was right and she should just take a risk every once in a while.  With another sigh, Rey turned off her notebook and made her way to the bathroom.

The next morning came and Rey had a slight headache from from the cheap wine. She should really invest in something better. Checking her phone for the time, she realized she had a new message from an unknown number.

**Don't be sorry about it. Had to sleep anyway. How's your ‚roomie'?**

It was him. She smiled.

**He probably won’t drink any alcohol for the next few months.**

She ignored his quotationmarks on purpose.

**So he's not jealous, that you chatted the whole night with a handsome stranger?**

Rey snorted. Who's jealous now?

**I guess he would be, if he wasn't in a happy relationship with his boyfriend.**

She threw her phone on the bed and went to check on Finn. He was miserable, as she had predicted. They spent the day on the couch, watching rom-coms. Rey forced him to eat something and reminded him every few hours to drink water. „You’ll thank me later, peanut“, she smirked at him and checked her phone again. The whole day she had texted him and was smiling every time she got a reply.

„Who are you texting, anyway?“ Finn asked. He hadn't missed how she was beaming and grinning at her phone.

She looked her best friend in the eye and said „You know, just the _Knight_ “ like it was no big deal.

Finns jaw dropped and Rey giggled at his expression.

„Finally!“, he screamed and immediately flinched because of the volume of his voice. Then, in a tolerable volume, he added: „Tell me _everything._ “ His eyes were sparkling and Rey couldn't help it. So she told him, how he was a student at NYU and they shared the same taste in books and movies and liked the same places in New York.

Finn grabbed her hand and dramatically yelped „It’s destiny! I knew it!“

Rey giggled again. „It's just a lucky coincidence.“

„Yeah, it's not, Rey. So, when are you going to meet him?“

When Rey frowned, he sounded almost offended. „Oh come on, Rey. What if he's your soulmate?“ Finn knew better than to push the topic any further and Rey was thankful for that. What if he was right? Then again… he could be a total creep. But she would never know, unless…

That evening, Rey swallowed hard before she sent _him_ a text message.

**You think we should meet some time?**

Her heart was racing and it killed her that he didn't reply immediately. But when her phone finally buzzed, she dreaded to look at the text. „You can do this“, she murmured to herself and opened the messenger.

**Sure, what do you have in mind?**

Rey sighed with relief.

**I dunno, it was just a thought**

That wasn't a lie at all. She hadn't thought this through. But apparently the _Knight of Ren_ had an idea ready, because he replied within seconds this time.

**How about Christmas Eve? You said your roommate was gone for the holidays, and nobody should be alone on Christmas.**

Rey hesitated for a second. This was really happening.

**Yeah, why not. Where do you want to meet?**

Her heart was racing, when he replied.

**Met steps? 3pm?**

Before she could confirm, her phone buzzed again.

**How will i know who you are?**

She smiled at that.

**I'll be wearing a grey coat. How will i know who you are?**

It took him a minute to reply. **Well, i'm usually wearing black….**

The next few days were an emotional rollercoaster for Rey. She was looking forward to the meeting, but she was also very nervous and at times even anxious. She bugged Finn daily about what she should wear and how she should behave. It was a miracle he didn't get annoyed with her. When he left for his trip to Poe's family, it was the day before Christmas Eve and he did his best to reassure her.

“You’ll do fine, Rey. You're gorgeous. He's an idiot, if he's not into you“, he whispered in her ear when they hugged. „If you need _anything_ , call me, OK?“ Rey only nodded at him and waved when he left.

That night, before she went to bed, she texted _him_. **And you're not some creep living in his mothers basement?**

It was meant as a joke, but Rey was half serious.

When he replied, she knew, he was grinning. **And you're not some overweight nerd who's only saying, he's a girl?**

She laughed out loud. **Fair enough!** She took a deep breath and sent another text. **I'm nervous about tomorrow.**

His answer sent butterflies through her stomach and Rey asked herself what was wrong with her.

**Me too, sweetheart.**

Rey was sure she wouldn't sleep tonight. She was so nervous, and her heart was racing. But when she finally fell asleep, it was with a smile on her face.

 

Rey wasn't one to spend hours in the bathroom. She usually dressed very practically and put her hair up in three buns. But today it seemed like she couldn't tame her hair and she looked at herself, wearing a sweater with a V-neck that hugged her waist. She was unsure what the point of this sweater was, she would be wearing a coat and a scarf anyway. But Finn had told her she should wear that specific sweater.

The whole subway ride to the Met, Rey couldn't sit still for a second. She was fumbling with her hands and checking her phone every few minutes, expecting that he would ditch her. He didn't, though, or at least he didn't do it with a message.

She arrived early at the Met, climbed the stairs and admired the facade. This was insane. She was meeting a guy she didn't really know whom she'd met online. How tacky. She didn't even know how he looked. Not that looks were important to her, but still. He could be anybody. He could have lied and be a forty-year-old creep. Maybe she should leave?

Rey let her eyes gaze along the street. There were a few people walking along 5th Avenue, shopping the last of their Christmas presents. Little groups of kids were running along the street, no doubt on their way to Central Park, pulling their sleds behind them. A sad smile formed on her face – she never had the chance to go sledding in the snow. Winter in her first year in college had been the first time in her life she had seen snow. She liked it a lot, much better than the heat and dirt of the desert.

Rey closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to shake the memory off her mind. That was in the past. She took a look around again and then she saw someone in a black coat and black pants climbing the stairs, his eyes fixed on her. Her heart suddenly began to race. That must be _him._ And he didn't look like an old creep at all. As he came closer, Rey raised one hand to greet him. She saw a crooked smirk form on his face. He didn't look bad, she had seen worse. His face seemed familiar, but Rey didn't know why. She felt herself smile when he reached her.

„Hey, Scavenger.“ His voice was almost a whisper and his eyes pierced her. Rey winced when she heard his voice. No, it was impossible! And yet, she knew it to be true.

„Ben?“, she asked quietly, with big eyes.

His eyes flickered with recognition, and his mouth opened in awe. „Rey?! Is it really you?“

„Yup, it is. And I should have known… The _Knight of Arse_ is Ben fucking Solo. I can't believe it“, Rey laughed and shook her head. Before she knew it, she found herself in his arms, pressed to his chest and Rey didn't mind. She had always liked his scent, back then when they both had been teenagers, and now. They had grown up together, although their backgrounds couldn’t have been more different. Rey had grown up in a foster home, Ben was the son of a local politician. They went to school together, had roamed through the streets, when none of them wanted to go home.

„I can't believe it either“, Ben whispered near her ear and it sent a shiver down her spine. „Let’s grab some coffee and walk around a bit.“ Rey nodded at his suggestion and grinned at him. It was really him. What are the odds? _It's destiny,_ she heard Finns voice at the back of her head, but pushed the thought away.

Ben insisted he’d play for coffee and she was surprised he still knew how she drank her coffee. She smiled at him, thankfully, while they walked across the street into Central Park.

They talked about the years that had passed between now and when they had last seen each other, back in Arizona. How she had been moved to another foster home, and he had to move to Washington with his Mom. How he had decided to move to New York and how she had just wanted to get out of there on her own.

„I’m sorry, I didn't try harder to stay in contact“, he muttered. „Guess, I'm really the _Knight of Arse_.“

She chuckled. „It’s OK, Ben. I was sad, but we both had to move away. I missed you, though“, Rey admitted, hoping he wouldn’t see her blush. If he noticed, she hoped, he thought it was because of the cold.

He slowed down until he didn't move anymore. She turned around to look at him, and saw a sad smile on his face.

„I’ve missed you, too“, he stated sincerely. „I – i have to tell you something, but you have to promise, not to laugh.“

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him, skeptically. „Mhm.“ The way he looked at her, made her mouth go dry and her heart race.

„I - I've always wanted to be more than just your friend, Rey.“ His words were sincere and he was looking everywhere but her face. When he finally looked at her again, he added a muttered „That hasn't changed.“

Rey gasped. She reached out and took his free hand in hers. She could feel his warmth through their gloves. She looked him straight in the eyes, not daring to blink. „I’ve always had a crush on you, to be honest.“ His face lit up immediately and his face asked a silent question. She was more than willing to answer it, she had waited years for this. „That hasn't changed“, she muttered in return.

And then his lips were on hers and she could taste his coffee on him. He pressed her to his chest, they both dropped their to-go-cups and she stood on her toes, placing her hands on his neck. The kiss was passionate, his hands were on her back and she was sure it was a dream. It must be.

Rey opened her eyes and pulled away from him a bit, breathing in his scent. „Is this really happening?“, she whispered, more to herself than to him. Ben answered nonetheless. „Yeah, sweetheart. It is“, he muttered and pressed his lips back onto hers.

When they parted again, he placed a quick kiss on the top of her head, before resting his forehead on hers. „I love you, Rey. I've always loved you.“

She closed her eyes and smiled. „I know.“

She knew in her heart that she loved him too. And she would tell him, in time.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. It was so fun, writing it. Christmas Fluff is love. Christmas Fluff is life.  
> Take it as an early Christmas-present for y'all. Merry Christmas, happy hanukkah, or whatever you're celebrating. <3


End file.
